


Everything's Fine, Right?

by byerasure



Category: South Park
Genre: Character Death, Don't worry he isn't really dead...just kinda, Eventual Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Mentions of Stendy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 22:43:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8596654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byerasure/pseuds/byerasure
Summary: Based on the 13th episode of the fifth season, "Kenny Dies". 
The boys are just playing, not taking anything too seriously, until Kenny gets into hospital. Stan can't gather the strength to visit him, Cartman's just an asshole, so it's Kyle's responsibility to keep him company -who might be a little, slightly bit crushing on the blond. 
(It's actually quite serious, so don't be fooled by my awful summary)





	

_Based on the 13th episode of the fifth season, "Kenny Dies". I do not own South Park, but I do wish I did._

 

Everything was fine. They were having fun; lighting literal bullshit on fire and laughing at it as if it were that amusing. They had watched the orange flames reach high, then die down, leaving only ashes and dust behind, before excitedly running to another pile.

“It’s your turn Kyle, you do it this time!” said Stan, handing the lighter to his friend, who was wearing a green hat that kept his fuzzy, auburn hair well hidden. After cheering enthusiastically, he took it and leaned closer, then clicked the small device and brought it closer to the crap, igniting it within a matter of seconds. The guys broke out in glee, exclaiming and laughing loudly. Kyle’s eyes met Kenny’s as they shared a joyful smile. 

“Kenny, you’re next” they kept fooling around for hours, finding happiness in something so simple yet entertaining. They were so caught up in what they were doing, that the boys didn’t even notice that it had gotten dark around them. 

“I think I should go. Mom’s gonna kill me if I miss dinner” spoke Kyle with worry in his voice. Stan snorted along with Kenny, who tastefully giggled from behind the large hood that was covering most of his face. “What?”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to anger your mom either if I were you”

“She’s just…she’s a bit overprotective. She cares about Ike and me a lot”

“And that’s great, but Kyle, you’re sixteen-“ his speech was suddenly disrupted when Kenny started intensely coughing. Minutes passed until his coughing fit stopped, however the blond’s eyes remained glossy from the tears and he was breathing heavily.

“Dude, are you okay? That did _not_ sound healthy” questioned Kyle while gently caressing his friend’s shoulders to try to calm him down.

“Yeah, it’s probably just a cold” although his voice came out muffled from the thick fabric in front of his mouth, after years and years of hanging out with the boy, Stan and Kyle had gotten used to it and understood everything he said. 

“Let’s go if you don’t want to be late” he stuck his tongue out at his best friend, then quickly ran off before he could hit him. Kyle shook his head and sighed, but followed Stan anyways. 

“See you tomorrow!” the redhead hastily waved to no one in particular when they’d reached their street and rushed into his house.

“Goodbye you guys!” shouted the blond, which was not a good idea as he began coughing again. He should just rest a little and everything will be fine tomorrow, right? 

 

Stan noticed Kyle entering the building, looking more tired than ever. If the gray circles decorating the area around his eyes weren’t enough to make people realize how dead he was feeling, the constant yawning every five seconds and the way he was walking, dizzily and as if he were still asleep, let everyone know about his nighttime activities; them being everything else except for sleeping. Stan mentally high fived himself for being such a good observer, but directed his attention back to his friend when he arrived at the lockers Stan was standing right next to.

“Hey!” he nodded in Kyle’s vague direction, only receiving an answer in the form of a not-so- enthusiastic grunt. 

“Dude, I downed like three cups of coffee and still feel like shit. I don’t know how Tweek does it” he stated while shaking his head. Stan snorted loudly, succeeding at making some passing students glance at them questioningly. He awkwardly cleared his throat and turned back to Kyle.

“Why did you even drink coffee? You never do”

“For your information, after spending my Sunday afternoon so usefully, I had to stay up late to study for the math test-“

“Math test? Shit, we have a test today?! Crap! When’s it?” he asked with a worried tone. He hoped it wouldn’t be until the fourth or fifth period, that way he could try to study in the other lessons.

“The first class” Stan sighed and his shoulders dropped in defeat as he accepted his fate. Kyle furrowed his eyebrows. “How could you forget?”

“Oh, I don’t know Kyle, I guess I just had better things to focus on, aka my girlfriend” his lips curved into a satisfied smirk once he saw the expression on his best friend’s face.

“Fuck you” mumbled the redhead as he opened his locker to take some of his stuff out. When he got what he wanted, they started walking towards the classroom. The bell would ring any minute and they did not want to be late from Mr. Garrison’s class. 

“Where’re Cartman and Kenny?” asked Kyle while he scanned the halls and groups of teenagers for his friends. Stan shrugged, staring at his phone and typing away; Kyle could’ve sworn he was talking to Wendy.

“Ditching school, probably”

“I’m not surprised by Fatass, but Kenny? He stopped doing that, like, years ago” 

“When he learned that he wouldn’t get a good job without education? Yeah, I remember that, he was totally bummed out for days and kept complaining about how, and I’m quoting, ‘this shit sucks’” they both laughed at the immaturity of their friend, however Kyle’s smile quickly disappeared from his face when he thought about the blond. He didn’t have plans for after high school, he just wanted to be done with it already, and find a job so he could provide for his family, or at least his little sister. He’d always been so selfless –that was one of the things Kyle liked in him, apart from his silliness combined with that weird sense of humor, and that he’d been there for him when he needed support. Sure, he and Stan were super best friends he could count on all the time, but there was something more in Kenny he couldn’t get his mind around; he was special and made Kyle feel strange when he was around. They had this connection the redhead never seemed to share with Stan. It might’ve only been because Kenny was such a flirt and charmed anyone he talked to, but Kyle didn’t want to think about that possibility.   
They reached the room and stepped inside. Some of the students were already there, sitting at their desks and anxiously flipping through pages in their notebooks, hoping to absorb as much information as possible within the remaining few minutes for the test. The two boys took their usual seats and Kyle looked around; Kenny was nowhere to be seen. Where could he be? He considered texting him, but just when he was about to get his phone, the teacher walked in. 

“Morning, kids” he placed a stack of papers onto the desk, then turned to the class, finding the boys with his eyes. “Marsh, Broflovski, go to the principal”

“What? Why? We didn’t even do anything!” protested Stan.

“Did Cartman do something again? We weren’t part of it!”

“I don’t care, just go”

“But-“

“To the principal! Now!” he yelled. They stood up and quietly left the room while the others curiously watched them. 

“At least I don’t have to take that stupid test” grumbled Stan as they walked towards the principal’s office. Kyle just shook his head and bit back a smile. They stopped in front of the door and looked at each other, slightly concerned. Whatever they’d gotten themselves into this time could not be good if she wanted to see them this early of the day. Kyle raised his hand and hesitantly knocked on the wooden door. After hearing the words ‘come in’, they entered the room.

“Principal Victoria, I don’t know what Cartman did this time, but I swear we- mom? What are you doing here?” 

“Boys, we have something to tell you, so please sit down” there weren’t only their parents there, but some of their teachers were also standing before them, seemingly sad. Kyle didn’t understand why; what could have Cartman possibly done to have such an effect on everyone? Although both of them were very confused, they did what they were told to and sat on the two chairs placed in the middle of the room. The redhead glanced at his parents, who caught his eyes and smiled at him supportively. 

“Alright, well, how do I start…we have some tragic news for you. Your little friend,” Stan cringed out of habit; they weren’t so ‘little’ anymore yet the teachers kept calling them like this and he found it really embarrassing. “Kenny McCormick had gotten into hospital yesterday”

“What?” Stan’s eyes widened in shock. 

“It turns out…he is terminally ill” 

Kyle’s heart stopped. It felt like he couldn’t breathe anymore, as if all the energy he somehow had after an all-nighter left him. Something hurt inside him, but he didn’t know what it was. He could not speak or even make a sound, the only thing he was capable of doing in the moment was staring at the principal in disbelief. This can’t be true… It must be a joke, right? A sick, disgusting joke. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Stan screaming next to him or feel his mother’s hands on his shoulders. 

“Can I…can we visit him?” whispered Kyle after minutes of trying to compose himself. Although he managed to get that sentence out, his voice sounded weak and he feared that it would break any moment. 

“Yes, yes of course! You can have the day off, I understand how hard it must be for all of you” she gave the boys a sympathetic smile before turning back to the papers on her desk. Kyle glanced at Stan, who was enveloped in a big hug, sobbing into his mom’s shirt. He could do the same, he was sure his parents wouldn’t have minded but he had to remain strong, at least for Kenny. He stood up, ignoring the dizziness that washed over him and started walking towards the exit.

“Kyle, where are you going?” his mother asked.

“I have to see him” Stan took a few steps back, wiping his eyes.

“I’m coming with you. Can you take us to the hospital?” he pleaded to his father. He didn’t say a word, just nodded while he fished out his car keys from his pocket. He motioned for the boys, who obediently followed him. 

 

They arrived about forty minutes later, and since South Park didn’t have its own hospital because it was such a small town, they had to travel to a nearby city. Ironically, this hospital was named ‘Hell’s Pass’ and Kyle had no idea if he should laugh or start crying, however he didn’t have time for irrelevant thoughts; his friend needed him right now. As soon as Randy parked the car, the redhead hopped out and ran into the building, not waiting for Stan to catch up. 

“I’m here to see someone” he stated to the assistant behind the counter. The woman jumped a little as she was not paying attention and Kyle’s sudden voice scared her.

“Oh, you’re going to give me a heart attack!” she complained while placing her hand on her chest to emphasize how startled she’d gotten. “Who are you visiting?”

“Kenny McCormick” he replied. While the receptionist checked something on her computer, Stan finally showed up as well. 

“He’s in room 135. Please sign this before you go” she handed a pen to the boys. They quickly scribbled their names onto the piece of paper, then hurried to the elevator.

 

“Kyle, I’m nervous” said Stan once they were steadily going towards the fourth floor.

“What? Why?” 

“I…hospitals just aren’t my thing I guess” the other boy just hummed in response, he was too distracted to pay full attention to his friend. He didn’t show, but he was nervous too; he didn’t know what to expect and did not want to see Kenny suffer, however he wasn’t about to quit. The elevator stopped and the heavy doors opened, allowing them to step out and start searching for the room Kenny was kept in. 

“124…121…dude, where is it? This place is like a maze” they decided to go in different directions so that way they could find it a lot faster. Not even a minute after splitting up, Kyle yelled for Stan to come. They were about to knock when the door suddenly shot open and a strongly balding man wearing a uniform that was in the shade of that ugly hospital color stormed out, almost bumping into Stan.

“Ah, excuse me. Are you visiting Kenneth? He’s in here, you boys just go in” he rushed away without waiting for their reply. They shrugged, not making a big deal out of the doctor’s strange behavior. Stan was the first one to enter the room; however he halted as soon as he saw the blond lying in the bed. He stared silently, breathing heavily and when Kyle opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, he abruptly turned around and ran past the redhead.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t-I can’t!”

“Stan! Sorry Kenny, I’ll be back, don’t worry” was the only thing he could say before sprinting after Stan. “Goddammit Stan, stop!” 

“What?” he yelled when they were outside of the building. 

“What are you doing?” 

“What am I doing?! Kyle, he’s a kid! He’s supposed to be running around and laughing and yet he’s in that bed with wires and everything, it’s not fair!” 

“I know it’s hard, okay? I know. But we have to be tough right now”

“Stop with this bullshit! Just...leave me alone” 

“Where are you going? You can’t just leave!”

“Shut up! I’m not-” his voice broke at this point and he was on the verge of crying. ”I’m not the one who’s leaving; he is” he looked at Kyle once more before walking away and into his car. Kyle was so pissed at the moment, he didn’t even process the fact that his friend left him here, in the middle of another city, on his own. How was he going to get home? How could he…how could he be such an asshole?! Who abandons a friend just like that?! He forced himself to inhale deeply, count to ten, then exhale. He needed to relax. After spending long minutes in the cold air, he eventually collected himself and was ready to go back. 

 

“Hey” he spoke. Kenny raised his head and said something Kyle couldn’t understand. This was the first time since he’d known the blond that he didn’t recognize his words. Kyle swallowed to get rid of that weird lump in his throat and finally took a better look at him. Stan was right about the wires; there were lots. Too many. In his nose, in his arms…he was wearing his orange parka. Kyle didn’t know how he could keep it on despite being in a hospital. His face was paler than usual, making him look dead already. The purple bags under his eyes -that didn’t shine anymore like they used to- most certainly didn’t help his situation either. “I know it’s a stupid question but how are you?” he sat down in a chair next to the bed and bit his lip. Kenny cackled lightly, almost inaudibly and extended his left hand. Kyle laced their fingers together without second thoughts and began tenderly stroking his palm with his thumb.

“I’m fine”

“No, you’re not” protested the redhead. “Are you hurting?”

“It was only bad during the night, it felt like I was gonna explode. I got a shit ton of painkillers so I’m all good now” he tried to sound cheerful, but Kyle wasn’t buying his crap; he didn’t seem ‘all good’.

“How did this even happen? You were fine yesterday…”

“I don’t know. The doctors are still running some tests. Where did Stan go?” his sudden question startled Kyle for a second. He had no answers and he did not want to lie to him, so he just kept staring into his light blue eyes. Kenny raised his eyebrow and winked at him, causing Kyle’s cheeks to change to a rosy color.   
They heard three knocks on the door, then a young nurse came into the room. Kyle noticed her glancing towards their intertwined hands but right now, he couldn’t care less about some random person’s opinion. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt you boys, but visiting hours are over for now. We need to examine him and Kenny has to rest, too” there was sympathy in her voice, and although Kyle understood what she’d said, he didn’t want to leave yet. He sent Kenny an apologetic look as he slowly stood up, and was getting ready to exit when he perceived how they were still holding hands. 

“Don’t go” Kyle felt tingles in his stomach when he processed the blond’s words. 

“I have to” he said bitterly. “But I’ll visit you tomorrow!”

“You promise?”

“Yeah, I promise” Kenny pulled the clothing before his mouth away with his free hand, then brought Kyle’s hand closer to his lips and placed a small kiss on it. 

“Can’t wait to see you tomorrow” he told Kyle. He then let go of his fingers and turned his back to the redhead who was just standing there awkwardly. He cleared his throat, nodded to the nurse and walked out. Now he just had to figure out how he was gonna get home…

 

Days passed and Kenny’s condition was getting worse. Kyle did everything he could to show his support. He went to see him every single day after school, he brought some of their classmate’s gifts –including Butters’ sweet drawing of him and Kenny flying in a plane, colorful balloons and pretty flowers, things which Kenny had no use of having,(except for the teddy bear he got from Kyle) but made him feel good anyways- and talked to him for hours. It wasn’t just Kyle that visited him; his parents and little sister, Karen, and even Cartman kept him company when he felt lonely. However, there was one person who would not show up, or rather, _could not_ show up. Stan couldn’t bear to see him so vulnerable, and though Kyle begged him to go with him just once, he never did. Kyle didn’t blame him; no matter how strong he appeared in front of Kenny, his heart broke each and every time he saw him in that hospital bed. Kenny kept insisting that he was fine and that Kyle shouldn’t worry about him, but the redhead didn’t believe him; he was visibly weak and in obvious pain. He did not deserve this. He was so innocent, selfless and caring, this shouldn’t be his fate! He could do so many things and achieve all his dreams yet he’s here, barely alive. He wasn’t just going to leave his family and Karen, but Kyle too. What was he supposed to do without him?!

“Where’s Stan?” asked the blond, breaking the silence filled with only his heavy breathing and the machines beeping in the background. 

“I…I don’t know, Kenny, I don’t know” he looked up to meet his hazy eyes for a moment. Kyle felt like as if he were slowly cracking. This was too much pressure for him to handle by himself. He needed someone to support him while supported someone else; he knew this sounded stupid, but he couldn’t help it. Kenny meant so much to him and he didn’t know what else he could do to comfort him. What would happen after this? Would he ever get better? Or will he just lie in this bed until he dies? Why can’t they heal him? God dammit, they were in the 21st century, they _should_ be able to do it! Kyle was so deep in thought, he didn’t notice that Kenny’s heartbeats stopped, only when he heard that obnoxiously loud, high-pitched sound that was coming from the monitor. 

“Kenny?” he questioned, staring at the blond. Nothing. 

“Kenny!” he shot up from the chair, then leant closer to the boy. His eyes were closed, and no matter how hard he watched him, the boy remained unmoving. “No…no, this can’t be-Kenny! No!” Kyle must be dreaming. This had to be an act. Yeah, this must be staged, right? For the love of god, Kenny cannot be dead, that’s just impossible, right? Nobody just dies like that! He grabbed his shoulders and shook him. Nothing. Tears ran down his face as he screamed his friend’s name over and over again. Two nurses rushed in, one of them being the girl they met the first day. She pulled Kyle away from Kenny while the other checked some things. 

“I’m so sorry” she spoke after a while. That’s it. He’s dead. He just stopped breathing. 

“Could you please leave me alone with him?”

“Well…I guess we could, for a few minutes” said the younger nurse, after they shared a knowing look. Kyle fell back into the seat and placed his elbows on his knees, burying his face in his palms. Should this hurt this much? Maybe Kyle was sick too. He knew he shouldn’t think like that, but he honestly hoped he was- that way he wouldn’t have to deal with this situation. He could focus on himself and concentrate on getting better. Yeah, that’d be a lot easier than accepting that his friend was gone forever. What were his last words, again? Kyle thought back to their last conversation-‘where’s Stan?’. That was it, the point where he couldn’t take it any longer. He started crying silently, sometimes letting out soft whimpers. 

_Beep._

_Beep._

No, it’s absurd. Impossible. It must be his mind playing tricks on him.

_Beep._

God, would someone please stop this? It’s not funny!

_Beep._

Oh, for fuck’s sake! Kyle looked up to the stupid monitor, only to see some lines forming on its screen. Wait-how? Is that what he thought it was? He averted his gaze to the boy’s chest; it was rising and falling, so softly that Kyle had to stare at it for seconds to make sure he wasn’t imagining all of this.

“Kenny?” he murmured breathlessly. His eyes slowly opened, not focusing on anything in particular. He repeated the boy’s name louder this time, directing the blond’s attention to himself. His blue eyes met Kyle’s green pair.

“Hey” he replied. His throat was dry and the words came out as hoarse whispers. Kyle’s eyes widened in shock as he watched his friend. This isn’t real, is it? He didn’t notice how his hood wasn’t covering his face anymore –he probably made it fall off when he was shaking him rather violently-, only when Kenny gave him that stupid crooked smile Kyle liked so much. He jumped up again, for the second time in fifteen minutes and quickly grabbed the other boy’s hands, grasping it tightly. Kenny let out a breathy, tired laugh, then pulled the redhead down into a hug. 

“I missed you Kyle” he mumbled into his ear. 

“Please don’t leave me ever again…I can’t live without you” cried the redhead into Kenny’s parka, who just squeezed him tighter and snuggled into his arms. 

“What is going on?!” asked the nurse after almost kicking the door down. They must've noticed somehow that the monitor was working again.

“How-“ they both were as confused as Kyle and also a bit embarrassed when they realized what was going on between the two guys. “We’ll-we’ll go get your doctor”

They remained silent, enjoying each other’s presence as much as they could before Kenny would be taken somewhere else to be tested, probably many, many times, because coming back from the dead without any medical help was not something people usually did.

“Hey, you guys- what are you doing?”

“Stan?!” Kenny’s eyes lit up with joy as he saw his friend standing in the door with a small gift box in his hands.

“I knew you’d get together sooner or later, but did you really have to in a _hospital?_ ” he questioned smugly. While Kenny just giggled, Kyle was both flustered and angry at his friend.

“What are you doing here? I thought you didn’t wanna come”

“After a long conversation with Chef, I realized how stupid I was. I should’ve been here for you Kenny, I'm sorry” 

“It’s okay. I had someone else to keep me company” he said while winking at Kyle, who although was shaking his head, let his lips curve into a wide smile.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I really am!”

“Good-wait. That was not the answer I was expecting. What happened?” Kyle was about to open his mouth and tell everything when he felt tugging at his hand. He looked at the blond, whose eyes were playfully shining. There was something about the look he gave Kyle, as if he were telling him to stay quiet about the incident. Kyle furrowed his brows, but nodded anyway.

“I guess his medication worked after all” 

“Wow, really? That’s great!” 

The nurses came back with the doctor and asked Stan and Kyle to leave for now as they had to run some tests immediately. They waved to Kenny one last time before closing the door behind themselves and walking to the elevator. 

“Dude. You gotta tell me what’d happened” demanded Stan while nudging Kyle’s side with his elbow. If the fact that his cheeks were now in a deep red shade wasn’t enough, the elevator doors just shut close, making it impossible for the redhead to run away from Stan’s interrogation. Just what he needed. _Awesome._

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, it's cliche...
> 
> Please leave a comment or kudos if you liked it, it'd be appreciated ^^
> 
> ~Yami


End file.
